1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to laser radar detection systems and, more particularly, to a laser radar detection system which discriminates between resolved and unresolved targets to detect objects in a cluttered environment.
2. Discussion
There exists a need for a more simplified radar detection system for detecting objects or targets located in a cluttered environment and discriminating between resolved and unresolved detected targets. In particular, there is a need for a simple wire detection system for use with helicopters and other airborne vehicles. Such a system would be desirable to detect a wire or wires such as a transmission line or other cables that are located in a severe clutter environment. Other possible applications may include the detection of another helicopter, airplane or other similar targets or objects located in a cluttered environment.
A wire or cable may be characterized as an unresolved target due to its relatively small size in comparison to the area detected by the radar beam of the detection system. Similarly, an airborne vehicle may be classified as an unresolved target if the area covered by the radar beam is larger than the vehicle. A clutter environment may include trees, buildings or other relatively large objects located near the wire or other unresolved targets. Objects which characterize a clutter environment represent resolved targets due to the relatively large size in comparison to the area detected by the radar beam of the detection system.
Conventional radar systems have not had the resolution capability provided by modern laser systems. The advent of laser radar has made wire detection in a cluttered environment more possible. However, current wire and clutter discrimination techniques have generally required large amounts of processing power, even when used with conventional high resolution imaging laser radar systems. Current detection techniques generally include performing the wire detection process based upon hough transforms and feature detection. Such techniques have performed to some degree, however, the potential for false alarms or missed wires has remained significant. In addition, these current detection systems have usually relied on the image and therefore have generally required several specialized high speed signal processing cards which utilize a large amount of power.
It is therefore desirable to obtain a more simplified radar detection system for detecting objects or targets located within a cluttered environment. In particular, it is desirable to obtain a simple wire detection system for use in airborne vehicles which does not require large amounts of processing power. It is further desirable to obtain such a detection system which is capable of discriminating between resolved and unresolved objects located within the detection field.